Visit Sunderland city centre this festive season
With lots of new independent shops and a whole range of places to eat and drink opening this winter it couldn’t be better time to visit, and with 3 different Metro stations to choose from it couldn’t be easier to get to either. Sunderland is the main station in the city which is great for where the majority of the shops are located, including everything from Primark to JD and all those others in between. 
With brand new Christmas decorations and a reimagined Santas Grotto, it will be a great opportunity for little children to meet Santa. There is also the 4K Lapland sleigh ride open for kids of all ages. The Lapland Adventure VR (virtual reality) Ride will take you on a magical adventure through Lapland, where you’ll fly around on Santa’s sleigh through the sky and through his workshop to meet his elves as they get ready for the big day.
The Bridges is bringing back Breakfast with Santa for a second year as little ones absolutely loved it last year. Not only will you meet Santa, but he’ll be reading Christmas stories while you enjoy a lovely breakfast and get creative with some festive crafts. All the information you need to book is on The Bridges Website.
There is lots more going on including the delightful Festive Market! #HappeningInSunderland on High Street West. There will be delicious food to enjoy while you are shopping for produce to take home and decorations, gifts and trinkets for the festive season. Enjoy a winter wander around all of the lovely stalls with a warming mulled wine, some festive soup, lots of decorations and gifts, as well as some favourites from the Food & Drink Festival, including Mustafi Grill, The Taste of Greece, Sweetdebelly, and Karahi & Spice.
The augmented reality Christmas trail is back in the City Centre. This year, you can hunt four giant stockings decorated by local schools and community groups. They will be located at different businesses in the city centre. The trail also includes seven AR (augmented reality) Christmas characters to find. The streets of Sunderland will be filled with lots of hidden gems, so download the Sunderland Experience app for free on Apple or Android to unwrap the hidden characters around the city. There is no better way to get into the Christmas spirit!
New for 2023 is the Keel Tavern pub, a sister venue to the popular Town Wall pub in Newcastle. It promises to commemorate the heritage of Sunderland and honour its shipbuilding and legacy by serving traditional real ale from a bygone era, but also modern beers from around the world. This new venue will also serve food till late.
With the skyline of Sunderland developing more every day and new independent venues opening everywhere from Keel Square to Mackie’s Corner, there couldn’t be a better time to visit Sunderland city centre.
